I have the same interest, Bucky. My soil is very sandy, so it is droughty. I would like to depend less on watering. And some vegetables seem not to prosper even with the amount of watering I provide.

Two drought tolerant vegetabes come to mind. One is Okra. I grew Cowhorn Okra. The other is cow peas (Southern peas, crowder peas, whippoorwill peas, etc.). Actually, I think most beans are somewhat drought tolerant.

That's about as far as I've gotten with drought tolerant vegetables. I would like to know more.

Jim

I live in a drought area and I find with tomatoes that you really just need to mulch a lot and the same with peppers. I water both every two weeks by irrigation. Most people do not believe me since it is well into the 100s by May. You are right in the respect that many plants types do better in the heat than do others. I have just done trial and error over the years and by doing this thrown away seeds where I notice that they do not hold up under the drought like conditions of the Southwest. So like on tomatoes, I would never grow the Ponderosaa, as they do so poorly here. I would grow Rutgers instead. You will also have better luck purchasing seeds from Southwest seed houses such as Willhite or Native Seed Search down in Tucson. I know that melons of all types are supposed to love the heat, yet I have planted the fancy stuff from Baker Creek only to have it sun scald and dry up under the heat and drought like conditions, yet my everyday cantaloupes are doing just fine. Feel free to contact me for seeds if I can help you with drought tolerant types, otherwise get catalogs from these two companies and I think you will be very pleased.

Bucks,

Hey thanks a ton. I will e mail u. I have 2 1/2 arces of cherry trees in the high desert chapparal country of So. Cal. So I spend alot of time with my trees and flowers.(lilac, roses) I don't want to spend a ton of time growing things that in the end will die on me.

Once again thank you and I will e mail u.
Tim

Hi bucky,

There is an organization in the southwest called Native Seeds/Search.
www.nativeseeds.org

They specialize in drought tolerant native seeds. I don't think you have to be a Native American to order from them. You might give them a look. I checked the site briefly. Only see one tomato and did not look extensively for the rest. I would visit the tomato forum to get advice from other southwest growers about what heirloom tomatoes do well in drought. There are a number of s.w. growers who are fairly regular forum contributors.

Mary

Willhite cannot be beat for melon seeds in sw.,or any other seed . WWW.WILLHITESEEDS.COM LOCATED IN POOLVILLE TX. BILL

Try looking for Porter tomato seed. Of all the tomatoes I've grown that was the best for droughty and hot conditions. I bet Willhite has them.

George
Tahlequah, OK

Willhite does have porter tom. seeds, they have the standard porter and the porter improved.Porter does great in drought zones where others just go away.PORTER IN STEVENVILLE texas developed these seeds and i am a firm beliver local` grown seeds do the best by far.

1)Have you also looked in the Sunset Western climate zones for ideas for varieties?
2)I found that in drought years here in the NW, it helps to space things out a little (10-25%) more & watch out for drying winds, with extra windbreaks for the tomatoes & 3-6" high sides to my raised beds...Perhaps that is why native SW peoples grew their gardens in "waffle" plots, with dirt sides to hold in water & protect from wind...
Good growing to you, K